Jadwia was seated cross-legged on the floor of the living room of her apartment quarters. The curtains had been thrown wide open but the rainy sky provided little light prompting her to turn on her [Lightspheres]. After reading three times the same passage, she sighed and put the book aside. As per usual those past few days, she was restless.

She had quickly dismissed the letter from her mother out of her mind. It had been sent a long time ago and other letters had followed which meant that it was nothing but another empty threat to force her to return home. Instead, Jadwia spent her time mulling over the Evaluations. She was still frustrated by her results, despite trying to convince herself that it wasn’t bad at all. She had already dropped by the Bursar's Office and handled her tuition for the next semester. She was thankful that she had already paid the rent of her living quarters for the whole year because she was now out of savings. This was an additional thing she now had to worry over, though it was only bound to be an issue for when the next Evaluations came around.

A knock at the door interrupted her mulling. Jadwia decided to ignore it and picked back the book she’d been reading. Unfortunately, the knocks made themselves more insistent and she was forced to stand up and go open the door. On the other side stood Boshena Wyater and Tatyana Chud.

“Grace to you, stranger! Fancy seeing you there!” Tatyana exclaimed. “Can we come in?”

For a fraction of a second, Jadwia considered refusing but her good manners beaten into her by her mother took control and she stepped aside to let them in.

“You’ve been secluded since the end of the Evaluations,” Tatyana reproached her. “We’ve barely seen you!”

“Did it go that badly?” Boshena asked softly.

Jadwia felt immediately ashamed of her own attitude. It was true that she had retreated inside her room like a hermit. The results of the Evaluations were considered intimate to the Pupil and a private matter between them and the Tutors – except in special circumstances. That being said, Jadwia was aware that she got on average better results than her peers.

“No, it was fine,” she said. “I was just a bit tired I guess… Sorry for being a stranger.”

Tatyana sat down leisurely on the sofa at the centre of the living room whereas Boshena went with her but preferred remaining standing.

“For a little bit, we thought you had left to go back home,” Tatyana said. “but since you’re here, we can at least spend some time together.”

“We can indeed. What shall we do?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Taking a stroll, relaxing in the Fields, enjoying this brief moment of respite between the two semesters. Anything is much better than staying locked between four walls!”

“It’s not like I was doing nothing. I was reading…”

Boshena reached for the book left abandoned on the ground.

“‘Chronicles of Emperors, Kings, Princes and Dukes, From the Sequene River to the Geddon Mountains. 7th Edition,’” she read out loud before arching an eyebrow in Jadwia’s direction. “This is what you read in your leisure time?”

“What’s wrong with it? I like it…” Jadwia said with an embarrassed shrug.

“Alright, you really need to step out of this room!” Tatyana said. “Let’s go to the Common Room at least.”

Jadwia let out a weak sigh but agreed to follow them out of the living room after putting on her uniform. They did not go to the Common Room reserved for the women's quarters and instead stepped outside on the well-trodden pathway in the Fields to go to the main one that was open to all.

Jadwia wasn’t surprised when Tatyana decided to bring up Isyd’s results in the Evaluations. From the little she had heard, the subject had been on the lips of everyone in the Academy from the moment he stepped out of the auditorium.

“Apparently, it’s not the first time a free tuition has been granted, but it is super rare,” Tatyana was saying.

“Do we know what exactly he did to get it?” Boshena asked, directing her question in Jadwia’s direction.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I have been… avoiding him the past couple of days. And contrary to you girls, he can’t simply walk into the women's quarters and force me to see him.”

“He’s truly Blessed by the Grace…” Boshena said with longing.

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“You know, if it wasn’t for him, we would have asked you to join our Ring,” Tatyana said. “Since you’re no longer part of the Cerulean Feathers and all that… The Rainbow Forest is a good Ring, but quite small and under the influence of the Faded Jade. There are worse choices, you know…”

As they spoke, they entered the Common Room. It was noticeably more empty than usual. Many Pupils had in fact profited from the melting of the snow and the providential improvement of the weather to take a short trip to their home. Boshena noted as such.

“Did you consider going back home, Jadwia?” she said.

“No, I didn’t. It’s too far anyway…” Jadwia said. Before they could ask more about it, she spun the question around. “Don’t you live near the border, Tatyana? The Gates of Uuraldur should make the journey quick, no?”

“Yeah, it’s definitely faster through it and I have considered it, but my father has forbidden me from coming back until I have graduated. He said that I shouldn’t get distracted and rather focus on studying. He’s probably gonna be out of himself when the letter of my results reaches him…”

“What about you, Boshena?” Jadwia asked.

“We have an estate near Blotnia, but I don’t like travelling in those weather conditions. The last thing I want is to be caught in the middle of my journey by a bout of torrential rains. Plus, I am more comfortable here in the Academy.”

As they just entered and were searching for a place to sit, Jadwia noticed a familiar face in the distance. Her blood turned icy in her veins when their eyes met. More by instinct than anything else, she spun around and tried to reach for the door. At the same time, a sudden gust of wind passed above her head and slammed the door shut. Jadwia slowly turned to see Izaak Kazkan approaching, his eyes firmly set on her.

“Well, well, here’s a little mouse I was looking for…” Izaak drawled.

“Senior Kazkan…” Jadwia squeaked.

Panic made her tremble. She was brought back to that time when she and Isyd had infiltrated the Kazkan mansion to retrieve the Ingraced Blysht and the [Outgracing Hex]. Similarly to now, she had met Izaak Kazkan’s eyes at a distance and saw the spark of recognition in his. She still had managed to escape and thankfully it hadn’t led to anything.

Until now, that is.

Izaak Kazkan towered over her with his strong stature and dark glare. As he approached, Jadwia slowly stepped back but she was stopped by the closed door in her back.

“Did you think I have forgotten about it?” Izaak said. “You’ll pay for the part you play in that evening disaster!”

“I-I don’t know… I don’t know what you mean, Senior… I think you are m-mistaken…”

“Oh, so you’re gonna pretend I didn’t see you in my house? You thief! Don’t insult my intelligence! I know you are in cahoots with Wybrany and the lunatic that has attacked us!”

“Senior…”

“My home went into flames because of you! My mother became… became sick!”

“Please, Senior… I don’t…”

Colour had risen on Izaak’s face and Jadwia couldn’t come up with anything to escape. Everyone present in the Common Room had their eyes turned in their direction, but none seemed able to intervene. They could all hear the promise of violence in the young nobleman’s voice.

“Er… Senior…” Tatyana still tried to step in but Izaak’s glare silence her.

“Back off, Kazkan!” a stronger voice suddenly called from behind him.

They all turned to see Klara Utro approaching them. At her side was one of those young children who often ran errands for the Consultation Office. Klara stepped between Jadwia and Kazkan, eyes throwing bolts.

“Run off, Utro! The girl is no longer part of the Cerulean Feathers. She doesn’t concern you!”

“This doesn’t mean you have the right to harass her! She’s still my Junior and she told you that she doesn’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You know nothing, Utro! Best if you step aside…”

“Are you seriously accusing her of setting fire to your home? It’s ludicrous! What proof do you even have? Perhaps you should drop by the Spital on your way out; you may have caught the same ill as your mother…”

Something dangerous glinted in Izaak’s eyes. He stepped forward until his nose and Klara’s almost touched.

“Last warning, Utro: do not try me,” he said slowly with the coldness of a newly unsheathed blade. “Must I remind you what happened last time you stood in my way, Pixie Pants? Next time, I will do far worse than burn your uniform. Let’s see how you look only dressed in your dignity…”

Klara’s face turned red with anger, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she maintained his hot gaze with one of her own.

A hand fell on Izaak’s shoulders. It was Senior Arael Lwieserce, also part of the Cerulean Feathers. His beauty had equal only the awe he inspired in all the Pupils of the Academy.

“This is not the time nor the place, Izaak,” Arael said with his characteristic soft voice.

Izaak didn’t even glance in his direction and shrugged him off.

Jadwia also stepped forward and tried to restrain Klara but the young woman wasn’t listening to her. All her attention was focused on Izaak.

“A lot of things have changed since last year, Kazkan,” Klara said. “This time, things will be different!”

“Shall we see, then? I was looking forward to the Tourney to deal with you, but I guess I can afford some foretaste. Don’t come to regret this…”

kk“I was about to say the same thing to you, Senior Kazkan,” a voice said from the door across the room. “You may want to step back...”

Everyone turned to see the newcomers. Isyd had arrived, with Kewin at his side.